Drive Angry

Last updated

Drive Angry
Drive Angry Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Patrick Lussier
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBrian Pearson
Edited by
  • Patrick Lussier
  • Devin C. Lussier
Music by Michael Wandmacher
Production
companies
Distributed by Summit Entertainment
Release date
  • February 25, 2011 (2011-02-25)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$45-50 million [1] [2]
Box office$41 million [2]

Drive Angry (alternatively titled Drive Angry 3D) [3] is a 2011 American action horror film in the exploitation cinema tradition, directed by Patrick Lussier, who co-wrote it with Todd Farmer. The film stars Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, William Fichtner, Billy Burke, Charlotte Ross, Katy Mixon, and Tom Atkins. Photographed in 3D, the film was released on February 25, 2011.

Contents

Plot

John Milton escapes from Hell after stealing Satan's gun, the Godkiller, in order to kill Jonah King, a Satanic cult leader who murdered Milton's daughter and her husband and plans to ritually sacrifice Milton's infant granddaughter to unleash Hell on Earth.

After interrogating and killing some of King's followers in Colorado, Milton discovers that the ritual will take place in Stillwater, an abandoned Louisiana prison. On his way there, he stops by a diner, where he meets Piper Lee, a waitress. Milton sabotages Piper's 1969 Dodge Charger, offering to fix it in exchange for a ride.

Piper walks in on her boyfriend, Frank, cheating on her. Piper beats the woman, tosses her outside, and assaults Frank, who knocks her unconscious. Milton comes to Piper's aid and "borrows" Frank's Dodge Charger, taking Piper with him to Stillwater. Satan's operative, The Accountant, arrives on Earth with the mission to retrieve Milton and the Godkiller. The Accountant interrogates Frank and discovers Milton's destination. After killing Frank, he poses as an FBI agent, tricking a pair of state troopers into helping him.

Stopping at a shady motel, Milton is having sex with a waitress from a nearby bar. King and his men attack and Milton violently dispatches them with many rounds of gunfire, leaving the naked and terrified waitress completely traumatized. The Accountant appears with the police and chases Milton and Piper, who by now are far ahead of them, hotly pursuing King in his RV. Milton uses the Godkiller to shoot at the Accountant, causing him to drive off a bridge. They follow King to a former church, find it filled with King's Satan worshipers, and they are ambushed and captured by the cult. They kidnap Piper and shoot Milton in the eye, leaving him for dead. He awakens, kills King's cult, and pursues the RV in the Charger. Piper breaks free, fights King, and jumps through the RV's shattered window onto Milton's car hood. King disables the Charger by shooting its engine.

Milton and Piper meet Milton's friend, Webster, who gives them a 1971 red Chevrolet Chevelle SS. Piper discovers that Milton is undead and has to abandon his daughter in order to protect her, which allows King to manipulate her into joining his cult. Webster reveals that he was a pallbearer at Milton’s funeral when he died 10 years earlier in a shootout. Piper also discovers that the Godkiller has the power to completely destroy a soul, preventing it from going to either Heaven or Hell. Meanwhile, one of King's surviving men tells the Accountant why Milton is chasing them.

After arming himself, Milton tells Piper and Webster to leave, but Piper says that she has never before had a worthy cause to fight for and is with him regardless of the consequences. With the help of the now-intrigued Accountant, they evade sheriff's troopers and arrive at Stillwater. The Accountant captures Piper and forces Milton to surrender the Godkiller before he can battle King. He allows Milton to attempt to save his granddaughter, however, noting that Satan despises the sacrifice of innocents in his name.

While Milton slaughters King's men before they can sacrifice his grandchild, Piper escapes from The Accountant with the Godkiller. King eventually gets the upper hand on Milton and savagely beats him. Piper fires the Godkiller at King, but misses, knocking herself out. King is enraged when another follower refuses to sacrifice the infant. The Accountant attracts King's attention, allowing Milton to grab the Godkiller and obliterate King and his soul, permanently.

The Accountant retrieves the infant and allows Milton to say goodbye to his granddaughter. Milton gives her to Piper, who promises to always care for her. Webster arrives and looks on as Milton "dies". After both Piper and Webster have left, Milton makes good on his earlier promise to Webster and drinks a beer from what remains of King's skull. He agrees to return to Hell, promising to escape again if his punishment remains too severe. The Accountant says that he looks forward to that escape. The Accountant manifests a black 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air and Milton drives them both back into Hell.

Cast

Production

Cage stated that he was originally drawn to the project by a scene in which his character's eyes get shot out. [12] In his previous film, Season of the Witch , he had wanted to have such a scene but producers rejected the idea. [12]

The film was shot in 3D, and special effects were created by Gary J. Tunnicliffe. [13] The cameras were rented from Paradise FX. [14] One reason Cage chose this film was to be part of the new 3D technology. [15]

The three cars driven by Cage in the film are a 1964 Buick Riviera, a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T (440 Engine), and a 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454. [16] Writer/director Patrick Lussier said the Riviera, used at the beginning and the end, "was the car we wished we had used the most, because it was a beautiful driving car", but "It was a shame to smack it up". [17] Three Chargers and three Chevelles were used, with one made very safe for the stunts, and one intended to be shown close to being destroyed. [17]

Patrick Lussier wrote the film with Todd Farmer. [18] Lussier filmed the movie in Minden, [19] Plain Dealing and Shreveport, Louisiana. [20]

Release

Box office

The film was released in the US on February 25, 2011. [21] Footage premiered on July 23, 2010 as part of San Diego Comic-Con. [22] It opened at the ninth place within the box office rankings at $1.6 million on Friday, with a lower than expected $5 million weekend. [23] Drive Angry's box office performance made it the lowest-grossing opening of a 3D film released in more than 2,000 US theaters. [23] The film was slightly more successful in international markets, earning $30.3 million. [2]

Home media

Drive Angry was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and 3-D Blu-ray on May 31, 2011.

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 47% based on reviews from 123 critics, with an average rating of 5.4 out of 10. The website's "Critics Consensus" says: "It may deliver the over-the-top action pieces, but Drive Angry prefers to work safely within the grindhouse formula than do something truly unique". [24] On Metacritic the film has a score of 44 out of 100, based on reviews from 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [25] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of C+ on a scale from A to F. [26]

Mark Jenkins from The Washington Post wrote, "Even at its most lurid, though, the movie is a little dull. And it only gets less compelling as the back story fills in". [27] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2 out of 4 and called it "an exercise in deliberate vulgarity, gross excess, and the pornography of violence, not to forget garden variety pornography. You get your money's worth". [28] Elizabeth Weitzman from the New York Daily News wrote, "Drive Angry is pure grindhouse, so committed to its own junkiness that it is, in its way, a pleasure to behold". [29] Writing for Variety , Rob Nelson called it "plenty watchable" but probably more of a draw to cult film fans than to mainstream audiences. [30] In The Hollywood Reporter , David Rooney called the film "a mindless exploitation entry that should have been appallingly awesome". [31]

Related Research Articles

<i>Paradise Lost</i> Epic poem by John Milton

Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse. A second edition followed in 1674, arranged into twelve books with minor revisions throughout. It is considered to be Milton's masterpiece, and it helped solidify his reputation as one of the greatest English poets of all time. The poem concerns the biblical story of the fall of man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

<i>The Devils Advocate</i> (1997 film) 1997 film by Taylor Hackford

The Devil's Advocate is a 1997 American supernatural horror film directed by Taylor Hackford, written by Jonathan Lemkin and Tony Gilroy, and starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, and Charlize Theron. Based on Andrew Neiderman's 1990 novel of the same name, it is about a gifted young Florida lawyer invited to work for a major New York City law firm. As his wife becomes haunted by frightening visions, the lawyer slowly realizes the firm's owner, John Milton, is in fact, the Devil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Atkins (actor)</span> American actor

Thomas Atkins is an American actor. He is known for his work in the horror and thriller film genres, having worked with writers and directors such as Shane Black, William Peter Blatty, John Carpenter, Fred Dekker, Richard Donner, Stephen King, and George A. Romero. He is also a familiar face to mainstream viewers, often playing police officers and tough authority figures and is perhaps best known for his role as Lt. Alex Diel in The Rockford Files (1974–1977).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devil in the arts and popular culture</span>

The Devil, appears frequently as a character in literature and various other media, beginning in the 6th century when the Council of Constantinople officially recognized Satan as part of their belief system. In Abrahamic religions, the figure of the Devil, Satan personifies evil. In music, the Devil is referenced across both classical and popular music. Connecting the devil to certain music can be used to associate the music with immorality, either by critics or by the musicians themselves. In television and film, the Devil has a long history of being used and often appears as an extremely powerful, purely evil, antagonist. He also may appear working behind the scenes, in disguise, or in secrecy to influence a story in the forefront. In narrative works, the Devil is often associated with concepts such as the Antichrist, Hell and the afterlife, and the apocalypse. Especially in media from the early 1900s, creators might have been compelled to portray the Devil with another name or in a non-classical fashion to skirt censorship laws that discouraged showing the Devil as a character. Occasionally the Devil appears not as an entity but rather is used as a name for something that is very sinister or malevolent in a narrative such that the characters feel it is the Devil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Pizzolo</span> American dramatist

Matt Pizzolo is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, bestselling comic book writer, playwright, and entrepreneur, best known for his work as writer of the speculative politics comic books Calexit and Young Terrorists, creator of the transmedia franchise Godkiller, writer-director of the indie movie Threat, and director of music videos for Atari Teenage Riot.

HALO-8 Entertainment is an independent film company specializing in genre cinema, documentaries, midnight movies, music-driven lifestyle videos, and animation. Its most popular releases include the films Pop Skull and Threat, the animated series Godkiller and Xombie, the fitness yoga franchise, Fitness For Indie Rockers, and the documentaries Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods, Your Mommy Kills Animals, N.Y.H.C., and Ctrl+Alt+Compete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Burke (actor)</span> American actor

William Albert Burke is an American actor and songwriter. Burke is known for his role as Charlie Swan in Twilight and its sequels. In 2011, he played Cesaire in Red Riding Hood. In 2012, he was cast as one of the lead characters, Miles Matheson, in the NBC science-fiction series Revolution. From 2015 to 2017, he starred in the CBS series Zoo. He has also appeared in the supernatural horror film Lights Out (2016) and the thriller Breaking In (2018).

<i>Dracula III: Legacy</i> 2005 vampire film by Patrick Lussier

Dracula III: Legacy is a 2005 vampire film and the sequel to Dracula 2000 and Dracula II: Ascension. The film was directed by Patrick Lussier and stars Jason Scott Lee, Jason London, Roy Scheider, and Diane Neal. It was released direct-to-video on July 12, 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Farmer</span> American screenwriter and actor

Todd Farmer is an American screenwriter and actor known for his work in the horror genre. He wrote or co-wrote the story or screenplay for Jason X (2001), The Messengers (2007), My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009), and the action film Drive Angry (2011).

Paradise Lost has had a profound impact on writers, artists and illustrators, and, in the twentieth century, filmmakers.

Patrick Lussier is a Canadian-American filmmaker and editor.

<i>The Wrestler</i> (2008 film) 2008 film by Darren Aronofsky

The Wrestler is a 2008 American sports drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Robert Siegel. The film stars Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood. Rourke plays an aging professional wrestler who, despite his failing health and waning fame, continues to wrestle due to financial hardship and in an attempt to cling to the success of his 1980s heyday. He also tries to mend his relationship with his estranged daughter and to find romance with a woman who works as a stripper.

<i>My Bloody Valentine 3D</i> 2009 American film by Patrick Lussier

My Bloody Valentine 3D is a 2009 American 3D slasher film directed and co-edited by Patrick Lussier, and written by Todd Farmer and Zane Smith. A remake of the 1981 Canadian film of the same name, it stars Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith and Kevin Tighe, with Edi Gathegi and Tom Atkins in supporting roles. The film focuses on the residents of a small town that is plagued by a serial killer in mining gear on Valentine's Day, who is believed to be the same murderer who was thought to have died a decade prior.

A motion comic is a form of animation combining elements of print comic books and animation. Individual panels are expanded into a full shot while sound effects, voice acting, and animation are added to the original artwork. Text boxes, speech bubbles and the onomatopoeia are typically removed to feature more of the original artwork being animated. Motion comics are often released as short serials covering a story arc of a long running series or animating a single release of a graphic novel. Single release issues of a story arc are converted into ten- to twenty-minute-long episodes depending on content.

<i>Godkiller</i> 2010 American film

Godkiller is a transmedia series of graphic novels, illustrated films, and novels created by filmmaker Matt Pizzolo that tells the stories of human beings caught in the crossfire of warring fallen gods.

<i>Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance</i> 2011 film by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics antihero Ghost Rider. It is a sequel to the 2007 film Ghost Rider and features Nicolas Cage reprising his role as Johnny Blaze / Ghost Rider with supporting roles portrayed by Ciarán Hinds, Violante Placido, Johnny Whitworth, Christopher Lambert, and Idris Elba. The film was directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, from a screenplay written by Scott M. Gimple, Seth Hoffman, and David S. Goyer. Released publicly for one night on December 11, 2011, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance had its wide commercial release on February 17, 2012, in 2D and 3D. Johnny Blaze is the Ghost Rider cursed to hunt demons, and he is approached by a secret religious sect to help protect a young boy named Danny, who is believed to be a target of the devil's minions.

Gary J. Tunnicliffe is a British special make-up effects designer, writer, and director. He has performed make-up effects in all the Hellraiser films from Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth to Hellraiser: Hellworld, wrote Hellraiser: Revelations, and wrote and directed Hellraiser: Judgment. His other make-up credits include Candyman, Wishmaster, the Dracula 2000 series, the Pulse series, and Feast.

Hell's Bells is a 1929 comedy horror animated short film was directed by Ub Iwerks and produced by Walt Disney. It was distributed into cinemas by the film company Columbia Pictures, who would also distribute other Walt Disney films, such as Winter. The film follows Satan and the other devils' happenings in Hell. One of these devils revolts against Satan, and end up kicking him off the cliff of Hell at the end of the film. The short is part of short film series Silly Symphonies.

<i>Hellraiser</i> (2022 film) Film directed by David Bruckner

Hellraiser is a 2022 supernatural horror film directed by David Bruckner, with a screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, from a screen story co-written with David S. Goyer. A reboot of the Hellraiser franchise, the eleventh installment overall, and the second adaptation of the 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker following the 1987 film, the film stars Odessa A'zion as a young woman recovering from addiction who ends up with a mechanical puzzle box that can summon the Cenobites, humanoid beings who thrive on pain being pleasure. Jamie Clayton, Adam Faison, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn, Aoife Hinds, Jason Liles, Yinka Olorunnife, Selina Lo, Zachary Hing, Kit Clarke, Goran Višnjić, and Hiam Abbass appear in supporting roles.

References

  1. ↑ Kaufman, Amy (February 24, 2011). "Movie Projector: Farrelly brothers' 'Hall Pass' to top Nicolas Cage's 'Drive Angry'". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2011. produced and financed by Avi Lerner's Nu Image Films for between $45 million and $50 million
  2. 1 2 3 "Drive Angry (2011) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Drive Angry (2010)". British Film Institute . Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  4. ↑ Rich, Katey (December 17, 2009). "Nic Cage Will Drive Angry At Summit". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on November 30, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
  5. ↑ Murray, Rebecca (March 1, 2010). "Amber Heard Joining Nic Cage In Drive Angry". About.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Simona Williams Joins Drive Angry". Shock Til You Drop. Archived from the original on March 5, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  7. ↑ Lussier, Germain (October 14, 2010). "Movie Trailer and Poster: 'Drive Angry 3D'". Slash Film. Archived from the original on November 2, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
  8. ↑ Creepy, Uncle (April 6, 2010). "More Drive Angry News: Cage Says It's Another Foray into the Supernatural". Dread Central. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
  9. ↑ Creepy, Uncle (March 16, 2010). "Katy Mixon Is the Next Hot Chica to Drive Angry". Dread Central. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Ringleader Hottie on the Hunt for Cage in 'Drive Angry'". Bloody-Disgusting. March 3, 2010. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  11. ↑ Lawrence P. Raffel. "Christa Campbell is Ready to 'Drive Angry'!". FearNet. Archived from the original on September 8, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  12. 1 2 Kasch, Andrew (February 24, 2011). "Nicolas Cage Talks Drive Angry". Dread Central. Archived from the original on February 27, 2011. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Who's Handling the FX for Drive Angry ?". Shock Till You Drop. Archived from the original on March 4, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  14. ↑ "'Drive Angry' Shot in REAL 3-D, Lusier Explains Why Post-3-D is Garbage". Bloody-Disgusting. April 3, 2010. Archived from the original on March 31, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Drive Angry (2011) – Review". Inopian. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Drive Angry: Patrick Lussier Talks the Benefits of Shooting in 3-D as opposed to a 3-D Conversion". DreadCentral. April 3, 2010. Archived from the original on May 20, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  17. 1 2 McCarthy, Erin (February 18, 2011). "Drive Angry's Director on Fast Cars, Real Stunts in 3D". Popular Mechanics . Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Todd Farmer – Happy to Drive Angry". DreadCentral. October 15, 2012. Archived from the original on July 16, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Set Report: 'Drive Angry' Part 1: Get Ready for a Violent, Bumpy Ride!". Bloody-Disgusting. July 20, 2010. Archived from the original on January 14, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Set Report: 'Drive Angry' Part 2: Fasten Your Seatbelt!". Bloody-Disgusting. July 20, 2010. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Disney Sets Mars Needs Mom Release Date". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on December 22, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  22. ↑ "SD Comic-Con '10 – Schedule for Friday (7/23)". DreadCentral. October 13, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  23. 1 2 Nikki Finke (February 27, 2011). "'Gnomes' No. 1 In Third Week Of Release; 'Hall Pass' Drops To #2; 'Drive Angry' #9; Oscars Fave 'King's Speech' Doesn't Stutter". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Drive Angry". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on May 3, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Drive Angry". Metacritic . Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  26. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 27, 2011). "Weekend Box Office: Gnomeo & Juliet Elves Bash Cage's Drive Angry 3D and Farrelly's Hall Pass". IndieWire . Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020. audiences gave a C+ Cinemascore. 69% of the crowd were males and like many films this winter, the younger demo didn't show up: only 43% were under 30.
  27. ↑ Jenkins, Mark (February 25, 2011). "'Drive Angry 3D': Nicolas Cage and rage running on empty". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on June 3, 2020.
  28. ↑ Ebert, Roger (February 24, 2011). "Drive Angry 3D movie review & film summary (2011)". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg
  29. ↑ Weitzman, Elizabeth (February 28, 2011). "In 'Drive Angry,' Nicholas Cage steers further away from Oscar heyday, but flick still a fun ride". New York Daily News . Archived from the original on February 28, 2011.
  30. ↑ Nelson, Rob (February 25, 2011). "Drive Angry". Variety. Archived from the original on March 3, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  31. ↑ David Rooney (February 25, 2011). "Drive Angry: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on March 1, 2011. smash-up car chases, hyper-violent physical clashes, flying viscera and a dollop of sex and nudity with ludicrous dialogue and only a passing concern for logic in this high-octane trash
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.